Electro-stimulation is widely used for pain relief, for muscle strengthening and conditioning, wound healing, and other medical rehabilitative and prophylactic purposes. An electrode (e.g., adhesive electrode) is placed on a user's skin near where the treatment is sought. In currently available systems, the electrode is connected to a wire that connects to a stimulator. Current devices tend to be bulky and have wires that get tangled or in the way of the user, which is intrusive to the user's daily activities. Due to the bulkiness of the device, it is also difficult to wear the device under clothing.
In addition, many current devices are complex and lack a simple, user-friendly connection mechanism between the stimulation device and an electrode to allow the user to easily connect or disconnect the device. The drawbacks of current electro-stimulation devices prevent the user from seamlessly integrating electrical stimulation therapy into their everyday lives. Also, if the electrode is placed in a hard to reach or non-visible body part (e.g., back of a patient's thigh), many devices are ill-equipped for seamless connection between the electrode and the stimulator device. As a result of the foregoing problems, user compliance is often poor.
One additional acute problem with existing connectors is that they are typically applied using a vertical connecting force. A vertical force can be painful when applied to electrodes used to treat tissue that has been burned or otherwise injured or subject to pain.